


Flashover

by fandommatchmaker19



Series: Station 19 Theme Week (for External Review, Extrication, Flashover and Afterburn) [1]
Category: Station 19 (TV)
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-10-12 11:00:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17466296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandommatchmaker19/pseuds/fandommatchmaker19
Summary: From prompt: Vic ends up hurt badly and is in the hospital and Ripley hates that he can't just stay with her there because they are still a secret and he can't out them without her permission.Jack gives him updates. The team thinks Vic and Gibson are a thing.Vic and Ripley finally come out.





	Flashover

**Author's Note:**

  * For [madnephelite](https://archiveofourown.org/users/madnephelite/gifts).



> Oh my God! I wanted to do the theme week so bad, but term 2 of uni started Monday and it's been a bitch. This fic is for madnephelite and it's for Day 3 (External Review), Day 4 (TGIT) and Day 5(Flashover) of the theme week. I hope you enjoy!  
> xx

Lucas couldn’t breathe. His throat constricted and he felt like he was drowning. He sank against the wall in the mostly empty corridor of Grey Sloan, fingers grabbing at his hair, pulling at it.

_You’re having a panic attack. You just have to breathe. In and out,_ a cold, clinical voice sounded in his head, but despite his attempt to listen to it, even the simple motion of breathing was difficult. _In and out._

Looking down, Lucas saw a pair of firefighter boots and looked up to see Gibson. Suddenly, he felt sick to his stomach as he recalled finding out that Gibson knew about himself and Vic. In retrospect, Lucas shouldn’t have reacted like he did, but back then he’d been scared that Gibson knowing could lead to the entire department finding out, putting both of their careers in danger. Not, that Lucas wouldn’t be willing to give up his career for Vic. At the thought of Victoria, his throat constricts.

“Chief?” Gibson asks, voice gentler than usual. Lucas looks up in the eyes of the lieutenant, and his breath hitches and his stomach drops.

“Y- yyeah?” Lucas stutters out.

* * *

 It had been a pretty usual day for Lucas. He’d woken up in Vic’s bed, his arms around her, his face buried in the crook of her neck, her curly hair spread on the pillow. He’d pulled her closer and trailed kisses along her jaw, causing Vic to giggle before he cupped her cheek and pressed a kiss to her lips. Vic smiled and her soft palm cupped his own cheek as she deepened the kiss. Gently, she rolled on top of him, her legs straddling his hips as they kissed passionately.

And, then, the alarm rang.

Lucas tried pulling away to snooze it or check the time, but Vic simply tugged him closer, pressing kisses along his jaw. Lucas reached over with his hand and snoozed the alarm.

And, then, Vic saw the time and she pulled away from him, eyes wide.

“Oh, shit, it’s late!” she exclaimed and Lucas himself managed to see the time. Yes, it was late. They sprang apart and raced for the shower. As Vic brushed her teeth, Lucas entered the shower and showered quickly, despite the fact that his girlfriend lazily trailed her gaze along his body.

“You’re distracting,” he mutters with a smirk.

“ _You’re_ distracting,” Vic retorts with a smirk as Lucas comes out of the shower. Vic goes into the shower and Lucas goes to make breakfast while trying to put on his uniform. Minutes later, Vic comes into the kitchen dressed casually in a t-shirt and leggings, jean jacket on top, her hair already braided into a half-up hair style that she will likely re-braid later. He likes her hair like that. She presses a kiss to his lips as she takes the plate of scrambled eggs form his hand.

So, their morning together is certainly typical. He drives her to work, but stops a few blocks away and she gets out. He wishes he could actually drive her to the door of the fire station, but that would be a disaster. So, he watches her for a few seconds as she runs, hair swept by the wind and he sighs longingly.

Work for him is slow for the first half of the day. He does paperwork most of the morning and has meetings the entire afternoon. And, he wishes that something exciting would happen just so his day would get more interesting. And, then, there’s a huge fire he gets called to.

Actually, by the time he is called and gets there, what started as a small fire in an apartment complex had escalated quickly. The scene is complete chaos. Station 19 had been called to the scene, but they’d called for reinforcements, so there were two more crews. Sullivan looked like he was losing his patience.

“Sully! How’re we doing so far?” Lucas asks, approaching his friend who is arguing with Herrera. The young lieutenant looks pissed and when Ripley approaches merely walks off after greeting him.

“So far so good, Chief,” Sullivan greets before quickly explaining that they’ve got triage, that they’d evacuated almost everyone, that they needed to vent.

“So, what did u call _me_ for? Just to watch you run the scene?” Lucas asks.

“Nah, that’d be a waste of department resources. The venting is a bit tricky,” Sullivan says and explains how it’s becoming quite impossible to do so. He also tells Lucas about two firefighters from station 7 trapped inside.

So, Lucas takes charge. And, at first things go well, so he sends in entry teams including Victoria mainly because he can’t _not_ send her as that would make Sullivan suspicious. 

“We need to take up defensive positions in case of flashover!” Lucas yells into his radio. “I want the entry teams from the D-side and B-side out! Also, I need a RIT team for the two station 7 crew trapped inside! Hughes, Montgomery! Advance to the A-side!”

And, then, everything goes wrong.

He’d tried moving them away from the unstable side of the structure, but there was just not enough time.

As an experienced firefighter, Lucas had seen flashover quite often. But, knowing that someone he cared about was inside made his heart stop and his breath hitch. And, knowing that there were two crews of firefighters on that side of the building was even worse.

“Keep venting! Other crews, surround and drown!” he orders as his eyes stay locked on the B-side of the building where Hughes and Montgomery are. “Hughes! Montgomery! What’s your status?”

And, then Montgomery calls for mayday and Lucas feels like he can no longer breathe. His heart is hammering in his chest and his eyes stay locked on the building.

The radio crackles and Montgomery’s voice breaks through, raspy and gasping for breath.

“Sir, I… uh managed to get the debris off of foot and off of Hughes. But we can’t get out. We have no exit!” Travis sounds desperate and Lucas sucks in a breath. Gibson flashes him a glance full of concern.

“Don’t worry, Montgomery! I will find you an exit!”

Lucas sees the RIT team charge towards the building and curses out loud:

“Dammit! Hold the RIT! Do not go into that building, Johnson! I repeat, hold the RIT! The structure isn’t sound!”

“Yes, sir,” Johnson snapped, though he didn’t sound happy about that. Lucas looks to the side and sees Herrera walking determined towards him.

Lucas takes in a deep breath. His hands are shaking.

“Sir, we need to send in a RIT team for Montgomery and Hughes!” Herrera yells and he can see the worry in the lieutenant’s eyes.

“We can’t. We need to simply get them an exit or a path they can follow.”

“But, sir-”

“No, Herrera, we are not sending in a RIT. I am _not_ losing anyone else!” Lucas states calmly, coldly.

_In and out. In and out._

Lucas lets out another breath before focusing his attention to the building. The corner of A-side and B-side is unstable, but C-side seems stable for the moment. And, the entry team is still there. They can make a path for Montgomery and Hughes and the two can get out. _Victoria_ can get out. He feels his pulse slow and sighs.

“I want the entry team on the C-side to create a path for Montgomery and Hughes,” he then demands calmly into the radio and receives an affirmative from Miller and Warren who are there.

For a while, time slows. Lucas continues to stare at the A-side, waiting for something to happen. And, then, finally from the rubble that is the entrance to A-side, a limping Montgomery emerges, supporting a limp Hughes. Victoria.

And, Lucas cannot breathe. His throat constricts and his heart hammers in his chest and he cannot breathe. He wants to run towards them, to take her into his arms, but he can’t. He _can’t_ , because he’s the _Chief_.

Gibson takes Victoria’s limp from Montgomery and lays her on a gurney. He and Herrera start working on her immediately and Lucas walks numbly over to them.

“Get her started on IV fluids,” he orders, his eyes locked on her face. Her beautiful, expressive face that just looks so peaceful, covered in ash and soot. His hand almost reaches out to touch her, to brush a loose strand of hair out of her face, but he stops himself. There are dozens of firefighters around him and he can’t.

So, he watches as Gibson and Herrera fit an oxygen mask over Vic’s face, as they examine her, as Warren comes to help once he and Miller bring out one the two station 7 firefighters. He’s alive, massively injured, but alive so Bishop and Miller go to work on him. When the fire will be extinguished, Lucas will take someone and go recover the body of the other firefighter.

“Sir?” It’s Gibson and he’s standing beside him, voice low so as not to attract attention.

“Yes?”

“We’re gonna take her to Grey Sloan. I’ll keep you updated,” the lieutenant says. A look of surprise is evident on Lucas’ face, but Gibson doesn’t comment.

“You don’t have to,” Lucas protests weakly.

“It’s no problem,” Gibson says and claps a hand over his shoulder before going after Herrera and Warren to the ambulance.

“Gibson!” Lucas shouts loud enough for Gibson to hear him over the clamor of firefighting. Gibson turns for a second. “Thank you!” is all Lucas shouts. Miller and Bishop also take the firefighter from 7 to an Aid Car and another Aid Car leaves with a civilian victim. Lucas watches the three ambulances tear away and lets out a shaky breath.

* * *

Jack Gibson wasn’t sure when exactly he’d become a co-conspirator in Hughes’ and Chief Ripley’s relationship. But, he knew he wasn’t about to say anything. Because the look on Chief Ripley’s face as he watched them lay Vic’s limp body onto the stretcher was downright heartbreaking. So, he just told the Chief he’d keep him updated and joined Herrera and Warren along with Montgomery who just said he’d hitch a ride to the hospital. Not, that Gibson or Herrera were very happy about it.

At the hospital, Dr. Bailey meets them and immediately takes charge. They rush Vic to the trauma room and a resident takes Montgomery to get his ankle checked out. Jack trails along after Dr. Bailey and Warren, but the door gets slammed in his face and Jack feels his breath knocked out of him. Andy grabs his arm and drags him over to the waiting room.

Bishop and Miller bring in their patient and join them.

Another half hour passes and Montgomery wobbles in on his crutches. Warren gets kicked out of the trauma room and plops down on the seat next to Travis.

“She saved me,” Montgomery whispers and everyone stares at him. “I…uh… the wall was about to collapse on me. She pushed me out of the way, and now… I’ve got a sprained ankle and Vic might have surgery, and… She’s my best friend, and I didn’t-”

“Montgomery, don’t beat yourself up about it. You would’ve done the same for her,” Bishop comforts and Warren claps a hand over his shoulder.

Jack lets out a sigh and stands up, running his hand across his face. And, then, the door of the trauma room opens and surgeons are pushing Vic on a gurney to the elevator. Bailey stops and the firefighters all stand up, including Montgomery.

“Dr. Bailey?”

“Okay, so Victoria’s going to need surgery. She has internal bleeding in her abdomen; it’s a spleen lac.”

“Thanks, Dr. Bailey,” they all chorused. Gibson sighed. He looked up to see Ripley entering the waiting room. His posture is rigid and his expression is devoid of emotion. And, he avoids Gibson’s gaze.

“Chief!” Andy and Maya both exclaim. “Where’s Sullivan?”

“Ah, Nineteen! Sullivan’s running the scene for now. How’s your ankle, Montgomery?”

“I’m good, sir. Sprained ankle. Should be good in a week,” Travis says, nodding.

“Good. A-aand Hughes?” His eyes lock with Jack’s.

“They took her into emergency surgery. She had a spleen lac,” Warren explains and Ripley nods.

“And Richardson from 7? What’s his status?” Ripley asks and Maya and Dean both stand up as a red-haired doctor comes in. His face looks neutral and Jack feels his stomach drop.

“Hello, I am Dr. Hunt. During the surgery there were some complications, he threw a clot and he coded on the table. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to bring him back. I am so sorry,” he says, tone apologetic, but devoid of emotion. Ripley looks like he might be sick and he lets out a long sigh before turning around and walking away.

Jack sinks in a chair, Andy sits down beside him as the rest of the team also take their seats. Hours pass, and Jack wonders if Ripley’s still there. His phone buzzes with a message from Ripley.

_Any news?_

_No, sorry._

Andy gives him a curious look, but Jack ignores it.

“Excuse me?” a doctor says, approaching them. She’s wearing navy attending scrubs and a teal scrub cap. Her face is calm, devoid of emotion, and she looks tired. The team snaps their attention to her. “I’m Dr. Karev. Unfortunately, the bleeding was much more severe, so the surgery will last longer than we expected. I can’t say anymore, but we’ve got some really great doctors working on her. I can’t stay longer; I have to go help.”

She leaves and Andy runs her hands through her hair. Maya briefly closes her eyes.

“Dammit,” Travis curses under his breath.

Gibson ran another hand through his hair and stood up. He was about to turn in the direction Ripley had gone, though he wasn’t certain where exactly that was. A hand clamped around his wrist.

“Jack?” It was Andy, her gaze full of worry. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Jack snapped curtly.

“Look, I’m sure Vic will be fine. You’ve got nothing to worry about, the doctors here are really good,” Andy says in a comforting voice, laying one hand on his shoulder.

“I’m fine. I’m no more worried than you.” Is all Jack says before turning around and walking down the hall, his eyes searching out Ripley. He finds him leaning against a wall, knees drawn up, still in his turnout jacket, head between his hand. He hadn’t left.

“Chief?” Jack asks gently. Ripley looks up, traces of soot and ash still evident on his face.

“Y-yyeah?” Ripley stutters out as if he’s gasping for air.

* * *

His ears are ringing and he looks up Gibson, running a hand across his face, trying to wipe away the tears, the ash and soot.

“She’s still in surgery. She was bleeding internally a lot more than anticipated, so it’s taking longer,” Gibson explains and Lucas sucks in another breath.

“Dammit,” he curses under his breath.

“You haven’t left?” Gibson asks, raising an eyebrow. Lucas can only shake his head. There’s a vending machine and Gibson gets a bottle of water which he hands to Ripley.

“Thanks,” he mutters as he takes a sip. “I _can’t_ ,” Lucas rasps out in response to Gibson’s question, running a hand through his hair. “I just can’t,” he repeats.

“You really care about her,” Gibson observes.

“Y-yyeah, I do. I think… I think I’m falling in love with her. And, she almost… she could’ve died today.”

“Chief, it wasn’t-”

“I fucked up,” Lucas says harshly. “I should’ve evacuated earlier. I shouldn’t have sent Hughes and Montgomery over to the A-side. I thought… there were two firefighters from 7 and I… it was all my fault!”

Gibson observes Ripley for a few seconds.

“Chief, we swept that building. We never saw-”

“I should’ve been more sure! I knew that structure wasn’t sound. I should’ve been sure before sending firefighters in that buil-” his voice is shaking, and so are his hands, and Jack realizes what is happening.

Lucas Ripley is having a panic attack right in front of his eyes.

“There was no reason, sir. We needed entry teams in there-”

“I held that RIT. I didn’t send in that RIT-”

“Sending in that RIT would have ended with two unnecessary deaths. Warren and Miller were in the perfect position to help. Breathe,” Jack tries to keep his tone comforting, gentle. He’d never seen Ripley yell. Like actually, properly yell. He’s always calm. Except for right now, when he is most definitely not.

Lucas takes a deep breath, but it doesn’t help. He just _can’t_ breathe. Because Victoria Hughes is in surgery at the moment and nobody knows if she’ll make it. And, if he loses her it will destroy him.

“They got themselves out, they just… I held the RIT and they got out by themselves. I wanted to run in… I just wanted to run in, but I couldn’t-”

“Sir, just take deep breaths,” Jack attempts to coax him. 

“I think… I think I’m falling in love with her and I just… I can’t bear to lose her…” Lucas says, voice raspy. It breaks on the last word.

Jack wasn’t sure he was supposed to hear that, so he sighed. And, then his phone chimed. It was Andy.

_Vic’s out of surgery. She made it. Come to the waiting room. We can go see her in a few minutes._

“It’s Andy. Vic’s out of surgery and she’s fine. I’m gonna go check in on her. You should go home and get changed, Chief.”

“Thanks, Gibson, you’re right.”

Jack stands up and extends his hand toward Ripley. Lucas stands as well.

“Will you let me know?”

“Of course.”

* * *

Jack sighs as he sits in the chair by Vic’s bed. Vic is still sleeping, a tube in her mouth helping her breathe. Jack had been in her room for the better part of an hour. Grant had come to pick up Montgomery, despite the fact that Travis didn’t want to leave. Andy and Maya were curled together on the Waiting Room sofa, Dean sitting close by, chatting with Sullivan.

Jack had just sent Ripley another text letting him know that things were stable; Vic was still asleep. Ripley was grateful in each one, but he didn’t actually ask for updates himself. So, Jack busies himself. He’s not sure why he’s in here with Vic, but he feels comforted by the fact that her heartbeat monitor shows a steady heartrate.

“Hey,” Andy greets quietly when she enters the room, taking a seat on the arm of Jack’s chair. Jack inhales

“Hey.”

“Is everything okay in here?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?”

“Cause you’re in here. Not that you shouldn’t be, but maybe you want come outside with the rest of us. I think Dean and Sullivan went for a snack run.”

“I’m good here, but thanks, Andy.” Andy quirks an eyebrow.

“Jack? Are you sleeping with Vic? O- oor seeing her?” Andy asks, stuttering slightly.

“No!” Jack whisper yells and Maya opens the door.

“Hey, guys, come outside if you wanna talk.”

“Hey, Maya, do you think Jack’s sleeping with Vic?” Andy asks, giving Maya a sideways glance.

“Yeah, Gibson, what’s that all about? Since when?” Maya asks, not bothering to confirm with him.

“Since never. I am not sleeping with Vic. Nor am I seeing her,” Jack immediately refutes, crossing his arms.

“Are you sure? Are you sure you don’t have fe-” But, Maya clamps a hand over Andy’s mouth.

“Yes, I’m sure. I would know. I am not seeing anyone because of you, Andy,” Jack says, voice steady and sure. “Because I only see you.”

Andy just stares at him. And, stands to move.

“I have to go,” she mutters as she rushes out. Maya follows. Warren stays to wait for Dr. Bailey who checks on Vic before she leaves. Sullivan leaves. Jack takes the night shift. Miller pops his head in.

“By the way, man, congrats,” he says, smirking.

“Congrats? What for?”

“She’s hot. I mean she’s our teammate and she’s family, but you know when you and Andy-”

“Dean! I am not sleeping with Vic. So just don’t.”

Miller salutes him and leaves himself.

And, Jack is alone. And, his mind returns to that moment when Ripley had voiced his feelings for Victoria. Loud, tall, vivacious, funny Victoria. And, Chief Lucas Ripley was in love with her. And, Jack thinks that Vic might be falling for him, too. He feels a movement next to his hand looks up to see that Vic’s eyelids fluttering.

“Vic? Vic?” Jack asks as he leans over her. She’s choking on the tube and he calls for help.

Dr. DeLuca comes in and helps take out the tube and Jack gives Vic some water.

“What… what happened?” she asks weakly.

“The debris that fell on you caused a splenic laceration and major internal bleeding. Dr. Bailey operated and removed your spleen. There was some more bleeding during the surgery, but we managed to stop it. You’re gonna be okay,” DeLuca tells her and Vic nods.

“Thanks, DeLukes,” she says and he chuckles. “Hey, Gibson, where’s everyone else?”

“They just left. Montgomery had a sprained ankle, so Grant took him home. Andy and Maya are still around here, I think.”

“Oh, okay. Gibson, is Lu-Ripley… I mean, have you seen him?” she asks worriedly.

“Yeah, I saw him earlier. And, he came here as soon as he handed over to Sullivan. He was worried and I’ve been giving him updates,” Jack tells her as he perches on her bed. “Also, most of the team think you and I are sleeping together. Or seeing each other.” Vic laughs, then winces in pain and Jack hands her the pain button.

“That’s ridiculous,” she says before giggling again. “No offense,” she adds as an afterthought.

“What’s ridiculous?” Maya asks as she and Andy enter the room, rushing over to Vic.

“That you think that Jack and I are together,” Vic deadpans.

“Are you sure?” Maya asks, teasingly.

“Yup. I would know if I was seeing Gibson. Or sleeping with him,” Vic replies.

“I’m gonna go… yeah, I’m just gonna…” Jack trails off and walks out.

“We were so worried, Vic. I texted Montgomery,” Andy says as both she and Maya perch themselves on Vic’s bed.

“Jack is still in love with Andy,” Maya blurts out.

“Thanks, Maya. Thanks for sharing,” Andy retorts.

Vic tries not to laugh, but she can’t not.

Andy and Maya linger for a while longer before Andrew comes in.

“Sorry, guys, hate to cut this party short, but visiting hours are almost over,” he says apologetically.

“We’ll visit you tomorrow,” Maya vows.

“Bring entertainment. Gossip, trashy magazines, all the good stuff,” Vic says smiling.

The girls pull her into a soft hug, careful not to jostle her too much and leave. And, Vic is left alone.

* * *

 There’s a knock on the door and DeLuca comes in followed by Lucas. Vic’s eyes light up upon seeing her boyfriend.

“I though you said-” Vic starts but DeLuca cuts her off.

“I’m making an exception as the senior resident on call,” DeLuca explains. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell,” he adds and turns around, closing the door and leaving the two of them alone.

“Hey,” she whispers, eyes trained on him. He is wearing jeans and a sweater; he’d clearly gone home to change, but despite that he looks like a wreck. His gaze is averted and he’s trying to look anywhere but at her. “Lucas?” she tries, but he still won’t look at her. “You look like shit,” she then observes. At that, he looks… well, not at her, but in her general direction.

“You look… alive. You’re alive,” he then says, as if he can’t quite believe it. “You’re alive,” he repeats in wonder.

“Yeah, I am. I’m okay, Luke,” she says gently.

“I- II’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he chokes out, voice weak and broken. “I’m so sorry I didn’t get you out. You did that yourself-”

“Well, Montgomery did,” she says softly, trying to joke and keep her tone light, but failing.

“I held that RIT- I didn’t hold it because of you- you have to- you have to know that. I held it because it was dangerous… I- II… I’m so sorry. I should go. I’m gonna go. I’m sure-”

“No, don’t. Don’t go. I… Lucas, I know. I know you didn’t do it because of me or anything like that. I know you made the best call you could’ve in an impossible situation and we made it out. That’s what matters,” she says softly and he stops, hand still on the handle. “Lucas, look at me,” she says softly and sees his shoulders shake. “Hey, I’m… I’m okay. I’m alive. Lucas, look at me, please.” He turns around, but still won’t look at her. “ _Lucas_ , look at me,” she says sharply, and at that he does. He turns and he looks at her and the first thing she notices is that his eyes are full of tears and her heart breaks. “C’mere,” she whispers softly. He approaches the bed softly, apprehensively and sits on the very edge. And then, tears start streaming down his face and he starts to cry. Vic wraps her arms around him and presses herself to him and Lucas buries his face in the crook of her neck and starts to cry. Vic winces as she sits up in order to hug him better, but shakes it off. She rubs her hands up and down his back trying to offer some comfort. Lucas pulls away slightly and Vic wipes away the tears from his cheeks.

“I- II killed you… I’m the one who-” he sobs, but Vic cuts him off by pressing her lips to his. Lucas kisses her back, deepening the kiss, wrapping his arms around her back. . He tastes of salt from the tears and he smells of ash and smoke, but Vic doesn’t care. Instead, she continues to kiss him, arms wrapped around his neck, body pressed as close to his as possible. The kiss is urgent, intense and his arms are wrapped around her. When the heartrate monitor starts beeping, Lucas pulls away, concern written all over his face.

“Hey,” she says softly, cupping his face. “B-side was about to collapse. There was no way for Montgomery and I to get out of there and you sent us to A-side which was more stable. There was no way to know the building was about to explode,” Vic says.

“I sent you there. My orders. I cannot forgive myself because if you’d died- if I lost you I…” he whispers, voice cracking. Vic caresses his jaw with her thumb.

“Well, guess what, I forgive you. I forgive you for ordering Montgomery and I to go to A-side. I forgive you,” she whispers, her own voice cracking. “You made a calculated call, and yes it put me and Montgomery in danger, but staying where we were was more dangerous and evacuation wasn’t an option for us. And, having Miller and Warren clear a path for us was brilliant. In the end, you _saved_ us.”

This time it’s Lucas who initiates the kiss. Ever so gently, he brushes his lips against hers and Vic deepens the kiss, hands fisted in his sweater. This kiss is softer, sweeter, less urgent and intense. When they pull away, Lucas’ gaze is locked with hers.

“I love you,” he blurts out, voice a little bit unsteady. “I love you,” he repeats, voice steadier this time. “The thought of losing you terrifies me and I love you. After Eva I never thought I’d fall in love again. But, I did. With you. I was… I was broken and scared to love again because I might get hurt. And, you fixed me. You put me back together. I love you, Victoria.” And, for the first time since he’d entered the room, his voice is steady, sure. Vic smiles.

“I am pretty lovable, aren’t I?” she quips and he chuckles through his tears which had stopped by now. He swipes his hand underneath his eyes. “I love you, too, Lucas.”

And, Lucas ducks his head and kisses her again, causing the heartrate monitor to beep. The door opens and DeLuca pops his head in. He rolls his eyes before slamming it shut.

When they finally pull away, Vic scoots over and Lucas kicks off his shoes and lays down next to her.

“How’s your pain?” he asks softly.

“Better now that you’re here,” she says giving him another soft smile.

“I’m glad. Are you sure this is okay?” There’s a trace of fear in his voice, as if he’s scared he might break her.

“Yeah, this is good,” she says as he wraps his arm around her and she lays her head on his chest. Lucas presses a kiss to the top of her head.

“I think we should tell people. Cause my team thinks I’m sleeping with Gibson,” she blurts out after a few moments of silence. Lucas chuckles and Vic pouts, turning to face him. “Not funny,” she mutters, shoving him gently.

“I’m sorry, I just… Gibson? Why?” Lucas asks and Vic lifts her head up to meet his gaze.

“I have no idea,” she says before pressing her lips to his. Lucas deepens the kiss for a few seconds before pulling away.

“Why do you want to tell them? I though- I mean, of course if you want to tell them, but I just thought that we were good for now…” he trails off, voice uncertain.

“We _are_ good,” Vic replies. “But, I’m not… I don’t keep secrets. I’m historically really bad at keeping secrets. And, I’ve been keeping this one for a few months now. It’s getting kinda hard. I think we should tell people, and by people I don’t just mean my people. I mean your people, too.”

“You’ve already met my family, Victoria,” Lucas remarks, slightly confused.

“I know, but I meant your friends… like… Sullivan?” she asks tentatively, her fingers grazing his cheek gently. Lucas closes his eyes momentarily and lets out a heavy sigh.

“Victoria…”

“Lucas…”

“Look, things between Sullivan and I are complicated, so I don’t want to tell him things about my personal life. And, I’ve been married to my work for a very long time, so I don’t have any close friends that I’d want to tell this to,” he says as he lifts her chin up and presses a soft kiss to her lips. Vic deepens the kiss, wrapping her hands around his neck and pulling him closer. “Do _you_ want to tell Sullivan? As your captain?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

“Why?”

“Why what? Why do I want to tell Sullivan or why do I want to tell people?”

“Both. I just want to understand, Victoria. Is it because of what happened? Because I almost- because I almost killed you?”

“No! No, no, no!” she explains, cupping his cheek. “Luke, it’s not- that’s not- you didn’t- you didn’t almost kill me. I just want to tell my team because I hate keeping such a huge secret from them. You know you are my longest, most serious relationship and you’ve made me really happy. And, I just wanna share my happiness with my team, my family. We don’t have to tell everyone, but I want to tell Travis and Andy and Maya. And, maybe, down the road we can tell Sullivan and Frankel. But, if you don’t want to tell anyone, you know you can tell me. It’s not about rank or anything. If you’re not ready, we can keep this a secret longer.”

“Okay, if you want to you can tell Montgomery and the girls. And, of course if you want to we can tell Sullivan and Frankel. I mean, makes sense. If that’s what you want,” Lucas replies and Vic frowns.

“Stop it.”

“Stop what?” he asks confused.

“Stop deferring to me. This isn’t work. This is us. We’re partners in a relationship. It’s not only about what _I_ want; it’s also about what _you_ want. And, if you’re not ready to tell people, we don’t have to.”

“I just don’t want to force you or rush you or anything. And, of course I want to tell people at one point. I want to be able to be with you in public. I want you on my arm at fundraisers. I want you. I think we should start with your family here. Because we told my family, but Station 19 is your family. I just want to wait until you’re okay to tell Sullivan, Frankel and HR, alright?”

“Yes,” she says beaming before leaning in for another kiss.

“I love you,” Lucas says when they pull away and Vic smiles.

“I love you, too,” whispers before leaning in or another kiss. She winces a little and Lucas immediately looks at her in concern.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, just a little pain,” she replies.

“Here,” he says, handing her the pain button. She shakes her head.

“Makes me groggy. I wanna stay up with you,” she protests, leaning in for another kiss. Lucas chuckles.

“I’m not going anywhere. You’re tired. Take your medicine and sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“Yeah?” she mumbles tiredly.

“Yeah.”

Vic nods and presses the button and then a few minutes later her eyelids flutter as she cuddles into Lucas’ side. He’s warm and she soaks in that warmth. Lucas presses a kiss to her temple before trying to shut his own eyes, though the night’s events are still playing on repeat in his mind. He’d come so close to losing her and the thought terrifies him still as he fights sleep.

* * *

 As the sunlight peeks in through the thin curtains of Vic’s hospital, the door to her room bursts open and three people burst in.

“What the fuck?” they all yell upon seeing the Chief of the Fire Department curled around a sleeping Vic, who has her head on his chest.

Lucas nearly falls off the bed as Vic groggily tries to sit up.

“I tried to stop them!” Gibson exclaims.

“Vic, what the actual fuck?” Travis demands a second time as Andy and Maya just stare, magazines falling to the floor.

“Um… well, don’t freak out, but…”

“This isn-” Lucas tries, but Vic cuts him off.

“We’re dating!” Vic blurts out. “The Chief- Lucas and I are dating. It’s been six months.”

“And, you didn’t tell us because…”

“We weren’t ready and we wanted to be sure,” she answers simply.

“Did he coerce you?” Maya blurts out?

“No! No! I…”

“She kissed me. At first. And, I asked her out. I’m in love with her,” he says and four pairs of eyes stare at him.

“I love you, too,” Vic says, smiling at him and leaning in to press a soft kiss to his lips. Lucas is surprised, but then he relaxes into the kiss and cups her cheek with one hand as he kisses her back.

When they pull apart, his cheeks are flushed. Andy whistles.

“Okaayy, that happened,” Jack quips.

“Yes. This happened. So, now that that is done with are there any more questions?”

“Yes!” Three voices chorus. Gibson just smirks, amused. The door opens and DeLuca pops in.

“Hey, I was gonna check in on you before rounds, but… I can come back. Later. Maybe we should skip you for rounds.”

“No, it’s fine, DeLukes. Come on in and join the party. Lucas and I are just sharing the details of our illicit affair,” Vic says sarcastically.

“Does HR know?”

“When were you going to tell us?”

“Does Sullivan know?”

The rest of the morning – with a short interruption for rounds – goes on like this. Lucas stays there for a while, then leaves after exchanging another short kiss with Vic. Sullivan, Miller and Warren all drop in, but Maya, Andy and Travis are respectful enough not to say anything. It's Vic and Lu- Ripley's choice. 

At precisely 17:00, Lucas appears in the doorway, this time wearing his uniform. Vic’s sitting up, watching the TV.

“Hey, everyone else gone?”

“Yep,” she says and he walks over to her bed, cupping her face and pulling her in for a kiss. Vic kisses him back, winding her hands around his neck. The machines beep and Lucas groans as he pulls away. “Sorry,” Vic mutters. “Just another two days. And, then I get to go home. With you.”

“Ah, yes, I get to play nurse,” Lucas says sarcastically. Vic grins.

“You love me,” she singsongs.

“You _are_ pretty lovable,” he quips before leaning in for another kiss.

After they pull away, Lucas stands to take off his jacket which he hangs in the corner and takes off his shoes, putting them at the edge of the bed. He curls around her and lays his head on her pillow, closes his eyes and sighs.

“Tired?”

“Yeah.”

“We told people,” she says after a while, smirking as she looks up at him, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Yeah, we did," he says opening his eyes to meet her gaze. "We told people. And, Montgomery didn’t punch me,” Lucas says, smiling.

“No, he didn’t. Wait till Dean and Warren find out,” she says smirking.

“What? When are we telling them?”

“Kidding, not yet. I was thinking about waiting till I’m back to work.”

“Victoria, you nearly killed me.”

“You love me!”

“That I do.”


End file.
